Following Lloyds Bank's re-introduction of the TSB brand, other banks are to follow suit.
High Streets are expected to see the return of names such as Midland, Woolwich, Cheltenham & Gloucester, Abbey National, Alliance and Leicester, Bradford and Bingley, National and Provincial and the Giro Bank, as banks rebrand themselves in an effort to make customers think that they are more trustworthy because they have the names of defunct banks.
Fiona Westcott, a customer of HSBC, said: 'This is excellent news. We all know that HSBC is a front for Triad gangs, and they will rip you off with exorbitant bank charges whereas now they've called their branches Midland Bank I know that I will receive personal attention from gentlemen who are only interested in making sure that I receive the best service in the best of all possible banks. I've already made an appointment to see the nice manager about my small overdraft of five guineas.'
A spokesman for the major banks said: 'You can't fool all the people all the time. But we can fool them enough to make them give us even more of their money. After all, Christmas is coming, and we have multi-million pound bonuses to pay out.'